Storyline

During an engagement party thrown by Theo and Polly for their daughter Hermia and James, a man she grew up with but doesn't really love, Hermia's true love Xander shows up. After Hermia declares her engagement to James is off, it becomes clear that her best friend Helena has been in love with James all along. When the King and Queen of the Fairies (themselves feuding) decide to straighten things out with a love potion, their meddling goes terribly wrong and the relationships between all those involved become even murkier than they were. Written by
Ron Kerrigan <mvg@whidbey.com>

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User Reviews

This is an entertaining production, which is refreshing and well-acted. If you previously didn't go for the whimsy of Shakespeare's MSN, you may well find it much more accessible in this modern version set at a kind of holiday camp (Centerparcs meets Butlins, for British readers). There is some good acting (e.g. Puck), too.

On the downside, there are some dodgy, wandering accents, and Sharon Small (who is normally great as Havers in Inspector Linley) sadly seems to flit from American, to Estuary, to Scottish. Her overdone painted face does her no favours either.

I hope the BBC will do another series of modernized Shakespeare. For those who haven't seen them, "Much ado about nothing" from the first series is also very good, but my tip is to steer clear of "Macbeth" and "Taming of the Shrew".

9 of 14 people found this review helpful.
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